, 1887-02-24
MEDICAL LAkE-Irs PRODUCTS AND
HISTORY.
Two Interesting Essays by PabIic school
students.

A"o interesting Essnys ny fubIic SCHOOL
Students.
The two subjolned essays, read in
the high school grade rhetorical class
of the Spokane Falls public schools
last Friday afternoon, are deemed to
have sufficient general merit and To-
cal interest for publication. The first,
on tho Medical Lake Soap Factory IS
by Master Clayton Bump, aged 10
years. The second, touching on Med.
ical Lakes history, is by Miss Emma
Robinson.
THE MEDICAL LAKE SOAP FACTORY
Some time since, In the rhetorical
class, 1t was suggested that we boys
should write up SpOkane's local in
ries, i'm our monthly essays. Ac-
cordingly armed with note of in
PRODUCTION to Mr.. Robert Clarke, the
proprietor OF the Medical Lake Soap
factory, recently visited hat estab-
lishnent, at the foot OF Howard
street, to learn all L could about the
business. j was very courteOusly re-
ceived and everything wsls clearly
explained.
The beautiful lake from which the
Medical Lake Soap company derived
its name, Is situated about 16 miles
southwest of Spokane Falls, and is
so named because its waters are sup
posed to have medical value for
bathing purposes. The chemical
principles of this wonderful like are
mostly ulkali with some salt and boz
rax.
The material they Use for making
parts OF the lake. 1t Is pure sedi-
In Ii and in appearance Is like black,
sticky mud. The sources of this lake
are in subterranean passages.
The way they make the coarse
kinds of soap is as follows: They
put a quantity of these dredgings to-
gether with old lard, tallow, lye, oil,
ETC., into a large vat made of brick,
lined with iron and containing about
so gallons. With these are also put
substances to purify and refine the
mass while cooking. They have
steam engine with steam pipes run.
ming through the building, one of
which runs from the ceiling down
into the vat. Turning on the steam,
In few minutes the ingre-
dients begin to cook. The mass
has TO cook "a hours, when it is con-
sidered crude soap, and is emptied
into small watts on wheels having
movable sides.
When the soap gets cold they
take of the sides and ends of the
small vats and there you have
great cake of wet soap. These cakes
are laid on large tables and cut into
small bars of the right size by wires
being dra wn through them.
The soap is then taken to another
room where 1t Is dried. In q corner
of this room is the drying box. 1t
looks like great bureau laid upon
its side. The drawers are hung on
large rollers and are full of Stats upon
which Is laid the soap. A good many
steam pipes run into this box and it
takes "a hours to dry the SOAP by the
steam process.
AT their old factory ii took three
days to dry it, for it was then dried
by stoves. After 1t Is dried, 1t Is
taken to the press and wrapping
room. Here cake Is laid on die,
on q machine, and lever is pressed
by the foot which brings another die
down over it and presses In the name
and makes it smooth and of an even
shape. Then another person takes
1t and wraps it in a paper printed for
the purpose. 1t is then packed in
boxes and is ready for sale.
They have six different brands of
soap already and they expect to
have some other different brands
soon. The number of employees at
present Is small, hut promises to in
crease rapidly as the demand for the
soap is constantly growing.
On an average about 1900 boxes are
sold now every month. The toilet
soap has quite wide sale al
ready, it having been sent
all through the east. Wherever it
has boen sent there have been calls
for more.
AS the proprietor said: "The es-
tablishment is as yet only in its in
fancy, and some day we may expect
to see here as fine a factory for soap
making as there is on the coast"
c. G. BUMP.